Rieke PTA News

PPS Superintendent Carole Smith and Senior Director Paula McCullough announced to the Rieke families that Sarah Lewins has been named the school's new Principal, replacing Rebecca Torres.

Letter from Paula McCullough:

Rieke Community,

I am thrilled to announce to you that Sarah Lewins, currently principal at Roseway Heights K-8 and a former Markham Elementary principal, will become Rieke's new principal on July 1. Please read the formal announcement from Superintendent Carole Smith.

I want to thank so many of you who attended our community meeting last week to give feedback about what Rieke needs in its next leader. We had several possible candidates in mind, but then when Superintendent Carole Smith and I left the Rieke meeting, she turned to me and said Sarah Lewin's name. We both knew she is the one and believe you will too.

In addition to 25 years experience as a teacher and a principal, Principal Lewins is a Southwest Portland community member and her dedication to knowing the name and story of every child in the schools she leads is just one of her many assets.

Rieke will host an open house for Principal Lewins on Monday, May 9 at 6:30 pm in the Cafeteria. I look forward to you meeting Principal Lewins.

Paula McCulloughSenior Director

Letter from Carole Smith:

Dear Rieke Community,

I am pleased to announce that Sarah Lewins, currently Principal at Roseway Heights K-8 School, will become Rieke’s principal July 1, succeeding Principal Rebecca Torres.

Ms. Lewins brings deep teaching and leadership experience in best practices and effective curriculum and instructional strategies serving a wide range of student learning needs. She began her education career in Gaston, Ore. in 1990 as a Special Education and elementary school teacher before becoming first a teacher on special assignment and then a director overseeing the Talented and Gifted Program, Special Education and Title I federal anti-poverty programs.

PPS brought Ms. Lewins to the district in 1998 as an assistant supervisor and then a supervisor of Special Education programs serving Cleveland, Franklin, Grant, Lincoln and Wilson cluster schools over the course of five years. In 2003, she became Principal at Edwards Elementary (closed in 2006 in Southeast Portland) and then Markham Elementary in Southwest. For the last five years, she has led Roseway Heights K-8 School in Northeast.

Ms. Lewins is especially proud of the strides that she and her teacher and staff team made in creating inclusive opportunities for all students. Under her leadership, Roseway Heights has become a model for inclusion practices. She also fostered an outstanding arts and enrichment program, including music, art, technology, Right Brain Initiative and a strong SUN Schools partnership, as well as the first Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion program in the state and a partnership with Concordia University and Lewis & Clark College to bring in student teachers.

Ms. Lewins is a relationship-based leader. She is looking forward to bringing to Rieke her practices of knowing every student’s name, connecting with and engaging all families and forming a strong partnership with the staff to support and celebrate the school’s strong community. She is also an avid outdoorswoman – including mountain climbing – and is excited about Rieke’s focus on sustainability and viewing the outdoors as an extension of the classroom.

Rieke interim administrators Mary Patterson and Allison Couch invite you to meet Ms. Lewins at an open house on Monday, May 9 at 6:30 pm in the Rieke Cafeteria. She will also attend end-of-year events as her schedule at Roseway allows.

Please join me in welcoming Ms. Lewins and in thanking Principal Torres for her service.